1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vending machines that dispense feminine hygiene products. Specifically, this invention relates to a coin-operated vending machine that dispenses sanitary napkins and tampons.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are coin drop mechanisms and coin-operated release machines in various forms in the prior art. These previous inventions vary in sophistication and efforts to prevent against theft, weather conditions, and durability. Numerous inventions within the prior art prevent fraud by having complex electronic or mechanical schemes to authenticate currency. Other less complex coin drop mechanisms or coin-operated release machines require the user to rotate a handle by twisting a rotatable lever. This rotation is often impossible for users who are incapable of twisting their wrists and applying torque pressure while twisting. There are very limited prior inventions that have a pushbutton coin-operated release as found in this invention.
The following two (2) patents are relevant to the present invention:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 7,469,779 issued to James G. Horian on Dec. 30, 2008 for “Coin Drop Mechanism”.
2. U.S. Pat. No. 7,950,513 issued to James G. Horian on May 31, 2011 for “Coin Drop Mechanism”.
Therefore, there is a significant need for an improved invention which is mechanically simple, but functionally complete to allow a user or consumer to dispense a product using a coin-operated machine without requiring the user to twist or apply torque pressure to the coin-operated machine.